it is the country's democracy in danger of falling apart? for the first time in european union history, the government reveals a deal to cut the budget. >> ♪ i'll be there ♪ >> a kenyan voice is among thousands performing in china's new year television spectacular. we get the first ever backstage glimpse of rehearsals. welcome to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. the birthplace of the arab spring is facing its biggest crisis since its revolution two years ago. tens of thousands of mourners attended the funeral procession in tunisia of the murdered opposition politician chokri belaid, a political killing that

rocked the fledgling democracy and highlighted divisions between liberals, secular tunisian, and conservative islamists. >> there was genuine anguish across tunisia today. no or more so than in the home of chokri belaid. his wife and father sitting dignified. words of support to his daughter, whose father was assassinated on wednesday. a political murder that threatens to undermine to nietzsche's fledgling revolution -- undermined tunisia's fledgling revolution. >> my father wanted it to the democratic with a bright future. he always said the country was full of good things and believe political progress was possible here. >> as the coffin was carried

through the narrow alleyways of this modest working-class neighborhood, the huge crowd name.ed chanting belaid's they blame the islamist-led government for his murder. chokri belaid had been its most constant and vocal critic. >> amid all the anger, there's a sense that tensions have been bubbling under the surface for months. tunisia was the birthplace of the arab spring, and all of these mourners are determined there will not be a premature end here as well. >> there were sustain volleys of tear gas from riot police. as the wider region looks on, tunisia, the jewel of the arab spring, is in turmoil. the leader of the governing party is blamed for the deaf.

they deny giving free rein to more radical muslims. >> i do not think that the government is allowing things to happen. it is not only extremists who are committing crimes in tunisia. there are different people, different parties trying to make crimes and trying to push the experience to the extreme. >> the capital was reminiscent of the 2011 uprising which overthrew the previous regime. riot police and militias armed with clubs patrol the streets. tonight, the government said it would create a neutral administration of technocrats, an appeal for calm that might not be heeded. >> for more on the fallout from that assassination, i am joined here in the studio by a representative of the washington institute of policy. tunisia was the source of so much hope two years ago during

the revolution. what has gone wrong? >> part of what has gone wrong is there has been a lot of polarization between leftist secularists and the islamists, and there has been a lot of extreme and incendiary language going on between both sides calling each extremists or wolves in sheep's skin and stuff like that. as a result, it seems to be a culmination of some of the excitement that has gone on from each side. unfortunately, it ended in someone's death. >> protesters are calling for a second revolution. what exactly is it they want to see changed? >> part of what some of the protesters want is an interior ministry. they believe they are not able to provide the type of security that they want and that it is really still run the same way it was before, and they also wanted to be a reshuffle in the government in terms of different ministers because they feel there is some level of corruption that has been going on over the past year since the original election. >> how much is this about

unfulfilled expectations, do you think? >> partially it has to do with unfulfilled expectations, but also the economy. it is still stagnating. in tunis, the job rate is still high. there has not been any money coming in, as well as the fact that tourists are not coming in either anymore. >> how much of this is a clash between secularists and the islamist party? >> a lot of what is going on has to do with competition between two major blocs within the country. secular liberals looking for more of a cosmopolitan way of life and you also have islamists who are looking to arabize society and institute conservative policies related to social issues. >> how closely do you think egyptian leaders are watching what is going on in geneva, the birthplace of the arabs during after all? -- the arab spring after all? >> i think the egyptian leaders

are probably jam packed with what is going on there. >> are you surprised by the vehemence of the clashes? >> it is not too surprising just because we have seen an increase in polarization over the last year. as a result, it has created more tensions between the two different ideological blocks. >> what do you think will resolve the crisis? >> hopefully, cooler heads will prevail. many say if it continues to escalate, it could lead to a civil war. nobody wants that, so hopefully the leaders on all sides try to stem this from happening. >> thanks very much for joining us. if the islamic militants -- islamist militants are threatening to destabilize mali, and today, the men blew himself up, the first such attack since the french began their assault.

it was said that france paid a $17 million ransom to free hostages seized from a mine in 2010. police in nigeria say nine polio vaccination workers have been shot dead by unknown gunmen. all the victims are said to be women. some nigerian muslim leaders have previously opposed polio vaccinations, claiming they could cause infertility. the president of egypt has condemned fatwa issued on a satellite television channel. it called for the killing of leaders of the opposition. he said a religious violence or the threat of it had become the grossest -- one of the grossest challenges facing arab countries. it comes as challenge it -- thousands of protesters took to the streets in cairo. for the first time, european

leaders have agreed to cut the eu budget. i took more than 24 hours of wall-to-wall negotiations to reach a deal -- it took more than 24 hours. there were major disagreements. one camp was determined to make major cuts, and another was set on keeping up the you put the public spending. austerity one out in the end -- austerity won out in the end. >> keeping his hands in pockets -- all part of the negotiation, but eventually, a deal. countries would contribute most to the budget fought hard to cut costs, arguing that this age of austerity demands nothing less. >> the british public can be proud we have cut the seven-year credit card limit for the european union for the first time ever. every previous time, the multi- year deals have been agreed, spending has gone up. not this time. >> this was always going to be a long stretch.

no budget deal is ever easy. it took more than 24 hours of nearly nonstop haggling to produce results -- all too much for some. those who sought to protect certain areas of spending fought their corner hard, but the french president seemed a little downbeat at the end. >> if you ask me, if this had been my dream budget, if it had been up to me, no. >> within these walls, compromise is, as ever, the only way they can do business, but questions will remain about the structure of the budget. spending on farming and funds for poorer regions are being cut. critics say that is not right. >> if all member states agree, is that the budget done and tested? well, not quite. the european parliament has new powers over the process and seems determined to flex its muscles and possibly reject this

deal. the fight over how much the eu spins and on what continues -- the fight over how much the eu spends and done what continues. >> a shocking discovery ford u.k. consumers. a brand of ready-made lasagna contained horse meat rather than beef. the manufacturers withdrew it on monday but say they do not believe there is not a -- they do not believe there is a safety problem. the eating of horse meat is quite a taboo. a member of the u.s. commerce community faces a long prison sentence for his role in a series of attacks in which victims hair and beards were forcibly cut off -- a member of the u.s. amish community. he and 15 members of his breakaway group were found guilty of five hate crimes in

the american state of ohio. heavy snowfall started in the northeast of the united states. it is the beginning of what is predicted to be a massive, even historic, a blizzard. people have been stocking up on food and other supplies ahead of the storm, which is poised to dump up to a meter of snow from new york city to boston and beyond. the parents of a teenage girl shot dead days after appearing at president obama's inauguration have told the bbc that american gun laws have to change. 15-year-old hadiya pendleton was killed in a park on chicago's south side in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. michelle obama will attend her funeral tomorrow. despite the soul-searching in america following the sandy hook shooting, january was the deadliest month for gun crime in chicago for a decade. we have this report from the city. >> majorette from a chicago high

school on a visit to washington for the president's inauguration. in the middle, 15-rolled hadiya pendleton, who had appeared in a video denouncing gun violence. >> this video is informational for you and your future children. >> it was a gun in her life in this chicago part 10 days ago as she sheltered from the rain. the killer apparently mistook her for a rival gang member. >> never in a million years did i think that i would lose my child to a gunshot. she was not that type of kid. >> do you think something can come of it in terms of change? >> my hope is that my daughter's death is not in vain. maybe there are some laws that can be put in place. >> to be quite honest, that is the whole purpose of this interview -- then maybe some things can change.

>> right now, it is change for the worse. there were 42 gun murders in chicago last month, the bloodiest in january here in over a decade. who knows someone who has been shot? a shocking response, but not if you were raised on the south side of chicago. for these young people, gun violence has been a fact of life. they are back in school now, but previously most were buying things. the city is known for tight gun laws, but this 21 year-old describes the reality. >> it is easier to get a gun in chicago that it is to get a job. that is crazy. just because gun laws are different in different states, they are getting them from where they are legal and bringing back here. >> altering the patchwork of gun laws is the challenge for a president who three decades ago was a community organizer on the south side, the kind of work phil jackson does today.

>> we have people killed, one right here, one white there -- one right there in the alley. >> he points to streets and houses abandoned by their owners now used by drug addicts, prostitutes, and gangs. >> guns do not kill. people kill. we could leave a right done right here. that gun is not going to shoot none of us. they need jobs. we need mental health experts out here. >> the debate was prompted by the school shooting in newtown, but in a different way, what we found here is just as troubling -- a constant stream of murders in a city awash with guns. >> gun crime there in chicago. some positive news tonight -- doctors treating the 15-year-old girl shot in the head by the taliban.

she has been discharged from treatment in britain after her successful surgery. she underwent treatment to have a hearing in plant fitted. the teenager says she plans to continue her campaign for girl'' education in pakistan despite the attack. you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come -- backstage drama at russia's famous bolshoi ballet after an attack on its artistic director. now one of its biggest stars claims there is a conspiracy against him. we may finally have an answer to one of the most hotly contested questions in science -- where did we all evolves from -- evolve from? an international effort has been mapping out thousands of trades to tradestrait -- traits to unlock the clues.

>> it is interesting to see that this hypothetical central ancestors had a number of features very different from ours. very -- for example, for all over its body. a white, for a belly, long, furry tail -- white, furry belly and long, furry tail. fleshy nose not unlike ours. it had year bonds to help it here and translate sounds from noise into neurological impulses -- it had ear bones. it had some features that were like us and some that were different. we might be able to pick this up in both of our hands, but it is different in that it is much less specialized. >> how did humans evolve from that creature? >> this is an interesting question. one thing our study shows is

that after this creature lived, there was a very rapid change in many mammals species, including the line that led to humans, primates. we also saw a few hundred thousand years after this animal species like whales and aardvarks and bats and various different kinds of mammals all with a lot of different specialties including things like ability to fly and swim and do all of the very different things that mammals do. we are part of that extremely varied type of changes that mammals went through upwards of 60 years ago -- upwards of 60 million years ago. >> now to the backstage drama at russia's famous bolshoi ballet. three weeks ago, the company's artistic director was injured in an acid attack. today, the plot has thickened. one of the company put the

principal dancers has accused the management of carrying out a campaign to discredit him. he is calling on the russian government to sack the entire management. our correspondent in russia reports on this drama. >> at the bolshoi this week, they put on "giselle," a story of jealousy, treachery, revenge, but that is nothing compared to the trauma backstage. this principal dancer is currently one of the bolshoi was the biggest stars. he says the bolshoi's management wants him out. >> it is like being back in the days of joseph stalin. they are organizing meetings again, trying to force us to sign letters condemning him. they tried that last week, but

all the ballet teachers in the bolshoi refused to file it. >> three weeks ago, the troupe's artistic director was attacked with sulfuric acid. the head of the ballet has accused him of creating an atmosphere of mudslinging, which he believes led to the incident. >> god forbid if you were attacked with acid, you would not be able to show your face four months. if you look at all of the specially commissioned tv shows that have been hinting at my involvement, it looks like a campaign against me. but they will not get away with it. >> i am speechless. what can i tell? i just hope that he will be

cured as quickly as possible and that his eyesight is back, he will join us and continue to work. >> the dancer not only performs but he teaches as well, and he claims they were trying to take away his students. >> in december, that asked to see my pupils. they told her if she left, there would give them a spot in "swan lake." she refused, and i'm thankful for her loyalty. we met, and i said i knew what he did, and he replied that he did not do anything about the kind. i said in the bolshoi, walls had ears. everybody knows everything.

>> they came to see him, asking for a big part in the big ballet, and he said he did not think she was ready for the part and said if she wants to dance it, it would be wise for her to work with some female professors. >> the bolshoi would clearly love the focus now to switch back to its ballet, but the very public row which has broken out between one of its biggest stars and the management suggests that for now, dramas offstage will stay in the spotlight. >> more plot twists than "downton abbey" at the bolshoi. now to china. an estimated 700 million people will tune in to china central television's lunar new year gala. the performance has become unstable family fare, a staple tv moment like few others -- the

performance has become family fare, a staple tv moment like few others. >> backstage, a chance to see the performers about to face a very big audience indeed. hundreds of musicians, actors, and dancers are getting ready for one of the most-watched tv shows on the planet. china's lunar new year gala has been growing ever grander since it began in 1983, but this year, the directors have been ordered to produce a show more frugal in tone in line with the recent crackdown on corruption and official extravagance. it is a rare intervention these days. china's diverse ethnicity is always feature underlining national unity, but direct political messages have been scaled back. >> it is a really wonderful

platform. i think as a classical musician, this is a very nice place to share our artwork. normally, we play only in a concert hall, and this is another stage you can share probably with someone who never heard classical music before. >> there are four and acts as well. this year, everything from celine dion to this kenyan student. ♪ ♪ >> it goes like that. >> such is the importance of this national tv moment. this is the first time ever that a foreign broadcaster has been allowed behind the scenes like this. we are told that the message of frugality this year will be reflected in fewer costume changes and recycling some of

the set and scenery from last year. it might be risky. audiences already have other choices, and critics ask weather the extraordinary 700 million viewing figure can be sustained -- whethwe the extraordinary viewing figure can be sustained. >> quite a show. check your local listings for our channel number. to reach me and all the bbc team, go to twitter. good night. >> make sense of international news access bbc.com -- at

bbc.com/news. >> funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in. working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: what could be the biggest blizzard in decades blanketed the northeast today with up to three feet of snow expected in some areas. good evening. i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the monster storm from bernie rayno of accuweather.

>> woodruff: then, should the u.s. arm the rebels in syria? ray suarez examines a growing rift between the white house and key members of the president's cabinet. >> brown: spencer michels has the story of new discoveries about mars coming from the rover vehicle known as "curiosity," the product of nasa's jet propulsion lab. >> it may sound familiar but what scientists here at jpl are actually looking for are signs of life past and present on the red planet >> woodruff: mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> brown: and we close with a conversation with pulitzer- prize-winning humorist dave barry about miami, the "insane city" that's the focus of his new novel. >> the people come from everywhere, people just weird people are attracted to miami. the wildlife is weird, the weather is weird, it's a festering stew of weirdness. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: